7:29 PM,
Jan. 5, 2014

Written by

Disconnected phone lines and shells of buildings are all that remain of many Ohio sweepstakes businesses three months after a law effectively banning their existence took effect.

The law, which went into place Oct. 4, limited Internet cafe prizes to items valued at less than $10 and gave law enforcement officials the authority to prosecute businesses as illegal gambling operations if they do not comply. A last-ditch effort to delay the law and place the decision before voters fell about 71,000 signatures short of the 231,000 needed to make the ballot.